Badi Assad
Encyclopedia
São João da Boa Vista
São João da Boa Vista is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population in 2004 was 81,614 and the area is 517.49 km². The elevation is 767 m.-The foundation history:The city was founded on June 24, 1821...
, December 23, 1966) is a Brazilian singer, songwriter and guitarist in the jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and worldbeat
Worldbeat
Worldbeat is a music genre that primarily refers to a blending of Western pop music with traditional/folk or world music influences...
genres.
She was born in the state of São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, but grew up in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
until she was twelve. Her father, Jorge Assad, of Lebanese descent, plays bandolim (mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
), and her two older brothers are guitarists Sérgio Assad
Sergio Assad
Sérgio Assad is a Brazilian guitarist, composer, and arranger who often performs with his brother in the guitar duo Sérgio and Odair Assad, commonly referred to as Assad Brothers or Duo Assad.-Biography:...
and Odair Assad of Duo Assad.
Assad studied classical guitar at the University of Rio de Janeiro and won the Young Instrumentalists Contest in Rio de Janeiro in 1984. In 1986 she joined the Guitar Orchestra of Rio de Janeiro, headed by guitar player Turíbio Santos
Turibio Santos
Turibio Soares Santos is considered one of the best Brazilian guitar players alive.He established himself with a wide repertoire of pieces by Heitor Villa-Lobos, Ernesto Nazareth, Francisco Mignone, and by accompanying musicians like Clara Sverner, Paulo Moura and Olivia Byington on many CDs.At...
as conductor. In 1987, she was named “Best Brazilian Guitarist of the International Villa Lobos Festival.” By 1987 she had played in Europe, Israel and Brazil with guitarist Françoise-Emmanuelle Denis under the name Duo Romantique. Assad, who sings in English and Portuguese, was voted Best Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitarist by the editors of Guitar Player
Guitar Player
Guitar Player is a popular magazine for guitarists founded in 1967. It contains articles, interviews, reviews and lessons of an eclectic collection of artists, genres and products. It has been in print since the late 1960s and during the 1980s, under editor Tom Wheeler, the publication was...
in 1995. Due to a motor disability she was unable to play between 1998 and 2001, but made a complete recovery and released a collaborative album with her former husbandJeff Young
Jeff Young
Jeff Young is an American guitarist. He graduated from Musicians Institute in 1985, and is best known for his time with the thrash metal band Megadeth, appearing on the 1988 album So Far, So Good... So What!...
in 2002 called Nowhere. She has played and recorded with many notable artists of diverse instrumentation, including percussionist Cyro Baptista
Cyro Baptista
Cyro Baptista is a Brazilian musician, teacher, and recording artist specializing in percussion in the genres of jazz and world music....
, guitarists Pat Metheny
Pat Metheny
Patrick Bruce "Pat" Metheny is an American jazz guitarist and composer.One of the most successful and critically acclaimed jazz musicians to come to prominence in the 1970s and '80s, he is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works and other side projects...
, Larry Coryell
Larry Coryell
Larry Coryell is an American jazz fusion guitarist.-Biography:Coryell was born in Galveston, Texas. He graduated from Richland High School, in Richland, Washington, where he played in local bands The Jailers, The Rumblers, The Royals, and The Flames. He also played with The Checkers from nearby...
, and John Abercrombie
John Abercrombie (guitarist)
John Abercrombie is an American jazz guitarist, whose work often explores jazz fusion and post bop. Abercrombie has played with Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette, Michael Brecker and Randy Brecker...
, and didgeridoo
Didgeridoo
The didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...
artist Stephen Kent
Stephen Kent (musician)
Stephen Kent is a professional didgeridoo performer, percussionist, composer and recording artist.- Musical career :Kent's musical career has taken him across five continents, living at various times in the UK, Spain, East Africa, Australia and the USA...
.
Notable performances
- 1988: Antagonismus a solo performance written by Badi Assad in which she worked as guitarist, singer, actress and dancer
- Mulheres de Hollanda [Women of Hollanda] - a musical written by Tatiana Cobbett, based on the works of Chico Buarque de HolandaChico BuarqueFrancisco Buarque de Hollanda , popularly known as Chico Buarque , is a singer, guitarist, composer, dramatist, writer and poet...
. - 1992: Heineken Concert (with Raul de Souza, Heraldo do Monte and Roberto Sion)
- 1993: Heineken Concert (with Rafael Rabello, Dori Caymmi and Marisa Monte)
Discography
- 1989 Danca do Tons (Dance of Sounds) (Crescente Produções)
- 1994 Solo (Chesky RecordsChesky RecordsChesky Records is a record label aimed primarily at audiophiles. For the most part, jazz, Latin jazz, classical, and adult contemporary CDs and DVDs are produced, but they also manufacture high end audio equipment. The label was founded and is run by grammy nominated composer David Chesky and his...
) - 1996 Rhythms (Guitar PlayerGuitar PlayerGuitar Player is a popular magazine for guitarists founded in 1967. It contains articles, interviews, reviews and lessons of an eclectic collection of artists, genres and products. It has been in print since the late 1960s and during the 1980s, under editor Tom Wheeler, the publication was...
's "Best Classical Album of the Year") (Chesky RecordsChesky RecordsChesky Records is a record label aimed primarily at audiophiles. For the most part, jazz, Latin jazz, classical, and adult contemporary CDs and DVDs are produced, but they also manufacture high end audio equipment. The label was founded and is run by grammy nominated composer David Chesky and his...
) - 1995 Juarez Moreira & Badi Assad (Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil)
- 1997 Echos of Brazil (Chesky RecordsChesky RecordsChesky Records is a record label aimed primarily at audiophiles. For the most part, jazz, Latin jazz, classical, and adult contemporary CDs and DVDs are produced, but they also manufacture high end audio equipment. The label was founded and is run by grammy nominated composer David Chesky and his...
) - 1998 Chameleon (Polygram Records)
- 2003 Three Guitars (Chesky RecordsChesky RecordsChesky Records is a record label aimed primarily at audiophiles. For the most part, jazz, Latin jazz, classical, and adult contemporary CDs and DVDs are produced, but they also manufacture high end audio equipment. The label was founded and is run by grammy nominated composer David Chesky and his...
) - 2004 Ondas
- 2003 Danca das Ondas (GhaGhaThe letter ' has been used in various Latin orthographies for Turkic languages, such as Azeri or the Jaŋalif orthography for Tatar. It usually represents a voiced velar fricative, but is sometimes used for a voiced uvular fricative. All orthographies using it have been phased out, so the letter is...
) - 2004 Verde (Edge Music/Deutsche GrammophonDeutsche GrammophonDeutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label which was the foundation of the future corporation to be known as PolyGram. It is now part of Universal Music Group since its acquisition and absorption of PolyGram in 1999, and it is also UMG's oldest active label...
) - 2006 Wonderland (Edge Music/Deutsche GrammophonDeutsche GrammophonDeutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label which was the foundation of the future corporation to be known as PolyGram. It is now part of Universal Music Group since its acquisition and absorption of PolyGram in 1999, and it is also UMG's oldest active label...
)